Umbrella handle



June 16, 1936. J. E. MCWILLIAMS UMBRELLA HANDLE Filed Sept. 22, 1933 ATTORNEYS Patented June 16, 1936 UNITED STATES` PATENT OFFICE 10 Claims.

This invention relates to umbrella handles constructed to receive and hold a pair of rubber overshoes. In my Patent No. 1,931,078, granted on October 17, 1933, I have described and claimed such a handle, provided with a receptacle into which the rubbers are inserted through a side opening. My present object is to improve upon my earlier invention and to provide a handle simpler in construction and less expensive to manufacture.

An umbrella to be acceptable, particularly to women, must be provided with a relatively slender handle, and as a pair of overshoes, even a pair of sandals made of the lightest Weight rubber I fabric are bulky when bundled, and occupy considerable space, the problem isV to design a handle providing ample space for the rubbers Without at the same time making it so big as to be unacceptable to the user. The simplest form which an umbrella handle receptacle could take Would be an open-ended cylinder through the outer end of which the rubbers might be inserted and withdrawn. The objection to this simple form is that it is very diicult for a Woman to roll up a pair of rubbers and insert them into the open end of such a cylindrical handle unless that handle be of such diameter as to make it awkward in appearance and diiiicult to grasp. If the handle be made of small diameter the friction or the rubbers against its inner Walls makes it very diicult to insert the rubbers, and when inserted to Withdraw them. l

The handle of the present invention comprises two engaging cylindrical members one mounted on the shank of the umbrella and the other co-operating with the first to form a closed receptacle -for a bundle of rubbers. Each of these tWomembers is so dimensioned that its walls contact with only half the bundle of rubbers thus greatly reducing the frictional resistance to insertion and Withdrawal of the rubbers into and out of either member. In the preferred form of my invention the two members are made telescoping, the inner member being substantially shorter than the outerand usually about half its length. The user of the umbrella rolls her rubbers into as small a bundle as possible and inserts them into the smaller member. This she can readily do because only about half of the bundle can be inserted inside the member, the other half projecting beyond the mouth of the receptacle. The rubbers thus mounted can be easily inserted into the longer outer member, there being no possibility of the bundle of rubbers expanding as they are being inserted, being held snugly in their rolled condition by the telescoping shorter member. t

In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated certain preferred embodiments of my invention. In this drawing, Figure l is a longitudinal section through an umbrella handle of the invention showing the two members forming the receptacle handle in closed position and a bundle of rubbers in place; Figure 2 is an elevation of the parts of the handle shown in Figure 1 showing the rubbers mounted in one member in position for insertion into the other; Figure 3 is a transverse section taken along line 3 3 of Figure 1; Figures 4 and 5 illustrate a modied form of locking means for the two members and Figure 6 a further modied form.

Referring rst to Figures 1, 2, and 3, I designates an umbrella of ordinary construction having a shank 2 and a handle 3. This handle, in accordance With my invention, is constructed in the form of a receptacle large enough to receive a pair of light-Weight overshoes 4, compactly Wound, but not too large to be conveniently grasped by the user of the umbrella. This receptacle comprises a metal cylinder provided at its lower end with a reduced portion 6, designed to receive the upper end of the shank 2 and constituting a hand grip for the umbrella. On the upper or outer end of this cylindrical member 5 is mounted a telescoping closure or cap member 1, the side Walls of which are substantially less in length than the length of the member 5 and, as illustrated, are about half the length of the outer member.V The walls of the member 'I are provided with slots 8 at spaced intervals with protuberances 9 stuck up from the metal of the side Walls and designed to make frictional engagement with the inner face of the cylindrical member 5 and hold the parts in engagement when assembled. The slots 8, which permit the Walls of the member l to yield as it is inserted Within the member 5, preferably terminate short of the rim. The rim is thus unbroken and not liable to deformation which might interfere with the insertion of the cap member.

In using the handle as a receptacle for rubbers, the rubbers are tightly Wound into a bundle and inserted into the cap member until they occupy the position illustrated in Figure 2. In ordinary practice the Woman seizes the bundle of rubbers at about its middle and inserts it into the cap. When her fingers reach the outer edge of the Walls of the cap she releases her hold, and the rubbers thereupon expand to make a snug engagement with the walls of the cap. The cap thus holding the rubbers with half the bundle protruding can readily be inserted into the outer member 5, the friction of the rubbers against the inner wall of the member 5 offering a relatively small resistance to insertion. The parts having been assembled in the position illustrated in Figure 1 the frictional engagement of the protuberances 9 against the inner Walls of the member 5 hold the parts against accidental separation.

In Figures 4 and 5 I provide the inner member with a spring tongue I which snaps into an annular bead I I at the outer end of the member 5 and serves to hold the parts against accidental disengagement. Y

Figure 6 illustrates a still further modiiication. In this figure the shorter of the two telescoping members is mounted directly upon the shank of the umbrella and the longer member serves as the cap. The method of placing the rubbers within the handle of the receptacle is the same in this case as in the others, the only difference being that the member rst receiving the rubbers is mounted on the umbrella. In Figure 6 I have also illustrated threads I2 as other means for holding the two members in engagement. When the members are assembled in closed position a half turn of the outer member serves to lock the two in closed position.

y I claim:

l. In a handle for umbrellas, a pair of openended members, said members being readily separable and having their open ends opposing each other and the members together forming a receptacle for a bundle of rubbers, the side walls of each member engaging substantially half of the bundle.

2. In a handle for umbrellas, a pair of telescoping, open-ended readily separable receptacles having their open ends opposing each other and the two open-ended receptacles together forming a space for rubbers, the inner receptacle being substantially shorter than the outer.

3. In a handle for umbrellas, a pair of telescoping, open-ended readily separable receptacles having their open ends opposing each other and the two open-ended receptacles together forming a space for rubbers, the inner receptacle being substantially shorter than the outer, and means for holding the receptacles in closed position both when containing the rubbers and when empty.

4. In a handle for umbrellas, a pair of openended telescoping receptacles, said receptacles being readily separable and having their open ends opposing each other and the receptacles together forming a space for a bundle of rubbers, the outer receptacle being approximately as long as the bundle of rubbers which it contains and the inner receptacle being substantially shorter so that the rubbers engage only a part of the Wall of the outer receptacle.

5. In a handle for umbrellas, a pair of openended telescoping cylindrical receptacles, said receptacles being readily separable and. having their open ends opposing each other and the receptacles together forming a space for a bundle of rubbers, the outer receptacle serving as a hand grip and being approximately as long as the bundle of rubbers which it contains, the inner receptacle being substantially half as long as the outer and having a closed outer end and an open inner end for the insertion of the bunr dle of rubbers.

6. In a handle for umbrellas, a pair of telescoping open-ended receptacles for rubbers, the inner receptacle being provided with slots in its side walls terminating short of the rim and protuberances on the side Walls of the inner member between the slots, making frictional engagement with the outer receptacle.

7. An umbrella comprising a shank and a. handle, the handle comprisinga cylindrical metal receptacle for a bundle of rubbers and a second cylindrical receptacle telescoping with the i'lrst, the inner of the two receptacles having an open inner end for the insertion of the bundle of rubbers and being substantially shorter than the outer receptacle, the outer of the two receptacles having a closed outer end and an open inner end opposing the open end of the inner receptacle.

8. An` umbrella comprising a shank and a handle, the handle comprising a pair of openended members having their open ends opposing, one mounted on the end of the shank and the other mounted on the rst, the two members together forming a receptacle for a bundle of rubbers, the side walls of one member being of such dimensions as to enclose substantially half of the bundle and the side Walls of the other member being of such dimensions as to enclose the other half of the bundle.

9. A handle for umbrellas comprising a pair of open-ended members, said members being readily separable and having their open ends opposing each other and the members together forming a receptacle for a bundle of rubbers, the side Walls of one member being of such dimensions as to enclose substantially half of the bundleland the side walls of the other member being of such dimensions as to enclose the other half of the bundle.

10. A handle for umbrellas comprising a pair of telescoping open-ended members, said members being readily separable and having their open ends opposing each other, and the members together forming a receptacle for a bundle of rubbers, the outer receptacle serving as a hand grip and being approximately as long as the bundle of rubbers whichl it contains, and the inner receptacle being substantially half as long as the outer receptacle and adapted to receive the bundle of rubbers prior to its insertion into the outer member. f

' JOSEPH E. MCWILLIAMS. 

